The present invention relates generally to sighting devices for weapons. More specifically, the present invention relates to a low profile configuration for a folding rear sight.
Generally, sighting mechanisms for firearms are bulky and protrude outside the firearm's general contour. This construction creates a greater opportunity for the sighting mechanism to be caught on clothing or brush while the firearm is being carried thereby knocking the sighting mechanism out of alignment. Prior art devices that have attempted to address this problem by allowing removal of the sighting mechanism or providing a hinged attachment of the sighting mechanism. Generally, however, the prior art devices require that each time the sighting mechanism is moved into the active position, the sighting mechanism must be re-aligned before it is ready for use. Although this re-alignment step may be acceptable when the firearm is used in a controlled environment such as a firing range, it is not acceptable for a firearm employed for field use, such as hunting or combat environments where immediate, fully aligned use of the sight is required.
This is of particular concern in the field of combat firearms. A firearm that is used in the field requires a sighting mechanism that is stowed out of the way during times of non-use, thereby providing a streamlined profile that is not likely to be bumped out of alignment. Further, the sight must be quickly deployed when needed. The readiness time for the sighting mechanism to move from the stowed or inactive position to the deployed position must be minimized. Additionally, when moved from the stowed position to the deployed position, the sight must be fully and accurately aligned
In prior art devices, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,292, issued to Swan, a self-aligning flip-up sight provides a spring-loaded mechanism that can be easily moved from a storage position to an active position without requiring re-alignment of the sights. However, this device has a relatively large vertical profile, even when it is in stowed position. The large profile results from the use of two iron peep sights mounted in an “L” shape at a 90° angle relative to one another. In order for the sighting mechanism to be moved into the stowed position, the L-shaped iron sight must be placed into a position that allows one of the legs to lie parallel to the firearm with the other leg pointing upwardly. If the iron sight assembly is not in this position, the mechanism cannot be moved into the stowed position. Further, when the iron sight assembly is in the proper stowed position, one of the legs extends upwardly from the upper surface of the firearm thereby requiring that the protective shoulders of the sight extend a sufficient distance to protect this protruding leg. Accordingly, the sighting mechanism has a profile that is larger than desired and which tends to interfere with the mounting of additional accessories above the sight. Specifically, if a user wishes to mount an optical telescopic sight in addition to the retractable sight, an additional spacer would be necessary to allow the required clearance.
In addition, as the military becomes more involved in close quarter battle (QCB) situations, it has been identified that another perceived shortcoming of the prior art is that conventional back-up iron sights including aperture type sighting elements are sometimes difficult to use in close quarter battle, and/or not versatile enough to provide both CQB sighting and long range sighting. For example, the prior art Swan sight as disclosed in the '292 patent includes a first close quarter battle aperture which has a fairly large diameter, and a second long-range aperture which has a smaller aperture. With both sights, the weapon is aimed by aligning the rear aperture with the front post sight. In CQB situations, it is necessary to quickly sight in a target. The use of a larger aperture is effective in non-combat, practice-range situations to provide a bigger sight window in order to line up the front post, but has not been found to be ideal in actual combat where it is critical to get the weapon on target with minimal effort. In addition, while the second sight with the smaller aperture provides more accurate sighting in less stressful situations where there is more time to aim, the sight still only has a single fixed range.
In view of the foregoing, there is a perceived need for an improved folding rear sight which has a low profile when stored, which has the ability to consistently and quickly deploy to a fully-zeroed position, and which can provide versatile aiming capabilities both in CQB situations and longer distance aiming.